He came to the club about 5:45 p.m. because he hadn't been able to reach his wife, police said.

Lucrecia's husband looked inside and saw a mop and her cell phone near the front door.

"We believe she was first assaulted there," Bolton said.

Police believe the attacker took Lucrecia, who was five months pregnant, into the lobby, where he beat and strangled her.

She was found there by her husband and the couple's 5-year-old son.

"Can you imagine how that 5-year-old feels? It's devastating to the family," Bolton said.

The attacker made his way through the club after the slaying. Police said he smashed open a cash register and grabbed $1,000 in dollar bills. He then broke into the strip club's office but was apparently unable to open the safe, police said.

He found another cash register near the bar, picked it up and threw it to the ground, Bolton said. That register was empty.

The killer went out the back door into an alley.

Security cameras from other businesses, including a massage parlor and a pawn shop, captured the images of him walking past Lucrecia's husband as he first arrived.

Detectives have not determined how the man got inside the club. There were no signs of forced entry.

While they have security video, police don't have a detailed description of the killer. He was wearing a camouflage cap and dark-colored clothing at the time.